2022 has several changes in store for employment law. We outline the top 10 of the most important changes in our Insight.

1. Special regulations on COVID-19 in 2022

The so-called "Corona bonus" of EUR 1,500.00, which can be granted tax-free in the form of allowances and benefits in kind, can still be paid out by employers until March 2022. The prerequisite remains that the corona bonus is paid in addition to the salary that is owed anyway.

Furthermore, employers continue to have easier access to short-time work allowance (Kurzarbeitergeld) until the end of March 2022. This is intended to avoid redundancies despite a reduced workload due to the COVID-19 crisis. The updated regulations from 2020 that simplify access to the short-time work allowance, such as the reduced quorum of employees affected by the loss of work, will continue to apply until March 2022.

2. Electronic sick notes

Since October 1, 2021, physicians have been obliged to send sick notes for work in digital form to the health insurers.

As of July 1, 2022, employers are entitled to retrieve data (i.e., start and duration of the incapacity for work and, if applicable, the end of continued payment) from the health insurance fund when they become aware of an employee's incapacity for work instead of asking the employee to submit a sick note. Employees are still obliged to immediately inform the employer of their incapacity to work. If required, they can still ask the doctor for a sick note in written form.

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